NPC
"There is really no such thing as a secondary character, unless your main character dies." Which here means; there should ideally be only one character, per player, in the party at once without exceptional circumstances. It is possible for the player's "main" character to leave the party, temporarily or permanently, without resorting to being killed; they may decide to go their own way, for whatever reason, or settle down into a quiet retirement in a village... whatever. This will be covered... elsewhere. For now, NPCs are described as those not travelling with the party. Their speech should be shown using their name in bold in all or small caps, followed by a colon, followed by whatever they say in speech marks. No formatting is used to indicate who is speaking - different colours and fonts, are, in most cases, unnecessary. Enemy AI When the party encounters an enemy and enters combat, it is up to the DM to dictate how the opponents fight. NPCs, enemies and allies controlled by the DM have the exact same set of options available to them as the players do; an enemy goblin or warg is able to spend their turn attacking, using skills or spells, use items, talk or flee the battle just as a player can. Overall, the actions of the NPC characters are up to the DM. It is up to them how exactly their opponents act and react. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind how an opponent should behave in combat. With the same DM controlling multiple opponents, it is important for different enemies to behave differently and appropriately for the situation:*Sometimes, opponents would prefer to run away or surrender than fight on. Most civilians don't want to fight to the death over some minor scuffle, or never intended to fight in the first place; some minions may attempt to escape or surrender if their leader is killed. Others may continue fighting even when they know they are going to lose, and are too stubborn to surrender. *Some opponents intend to kill one player above all else, and prefer to attack that character; they may be assassins hired to kill them, or an old archnemesis who absolutely hates one of the player characters. This may overrule tactics or self-preservation, ignoring more dangerous opponents in favour of attacking their target. *Sometimes, the opponent never had any intention of winning; they merely wanted to stall the party, or injure them, or steal something, and will attempt to flee once that goal is achieved. Examples include thieves, minions (particularly those with poison or other status effects) or creatures such as Vampires that may be intending to infect the players rather than kill them outright. *Some opponents, such as guards, are seeking to incapacitate the players and not particularly harm them; they will ignore unconscious players and accept surrenders. Others, such as assassins or particularly violent, psychopathic or demonic individuals, are eager to kill the players even beyond the point of logical tactics. They will attempt to finish off unconscious opponents, even if there are still conscious opponents trying to attack them. *Some opponents, particularly experienced ones, behave with considerable tactics; they may attempt to disable the most dangerous opponents first, ignore weak players and attack healers and other support characters. *Some characters are too stupid, unimaginative or simply zombified to vary their techniques; they perform the same action every turn on a random target, ignorant of complicated tactics. *Some opponents, particularly the insane, may be unpredictable; they choose their actions at random, or deliberately choose completely inappropriate actions. Followers The term "followers" here refers to characters who are travelling with the party, and are participating in the events of the story from a gameplay point of view, but are not fully-fledged player characters; a sort of cross between NPC and player character. * A follower may be part of an escort mission; a temporarily allied character; or, simply, an expendable minion such as a Summoned being. * A Follower basically acts as a temporary character, under a player's control; however, they do not follow the same restrictions as the rest of the party do. * A Follower cannot gain experience or level up (although they may learn new skills in scripted events). They are not automatically entitled to a share in any loot obtained. They are not allowed to choose what actions the party takes. Neither the current DM nor the other players are under any obligation to treat the follower the same way they do a regular player. * A follower does not have to reveal their stats, skills or inventory unless required to for gameplay purposes. * A follower is permitted to keep secrets or turn on the party at any time, and their stats and possessions do not have to be balanced. * A follower can voluntarily leave the party at any time, but is not permitted to join the party unless all other players are in agreement. * If a player has more than one character in the party, one must be designated as the main character; all the rest are classed as "Followers". * If the main character dies or otherwise leaves the party while that player has a Follower in the party, that follower may be promoted to primary character status. In all other ways, a Follower counts as an NPC under the control of their player. If the Follower wishes to make any particularly significant action, their player should either discuss it with the DM beforehand or wait until the DM is due to change over.